The Fight For Georgia's Coast

[ironchapman]

I found a great and interesting article on AJC.com. It's about the continuing battle over what to do with Georgia's coast. "Should we develop it or should we leave it alone?" is the question that has been asked for many years. Obviously, there is a lot of history in the area and a great coast to go with it, so, how do we capitalize upon this WITHOUT ruining the environment?

Check out the article:

The Battle for the Georgia Coast

I wish we could find some way to balance these two. The Georgia Coast holds a great economic potential, but we can't just destroy the environment to utilize it.

What are your thoughts?

[CapeFearRiver10]

Well in the future maybe 200 years from now Florida growth will slide a little to Georgia for safety reason one day.

[Martinman]

Well in the future maybe 200 years from now Florida growth will slide a little to Georgia for safety reason one day.

The point of the article is that growth would come to the GA coast NOW if its allowed to be developed.

Actually coastal Ga is already steadily growing but much it is protected from development.

[Lady Celeste]

Honestly......and this is coming from someone who loves the eastern coast of south Florida with a passion.... I would much rather Georgia controls it's growth along the coast as opposed to what's in south Florida. I don't remember South Florida ever looking any other way than what it does today....or to some degree. The Georgia coast has always been a bastion of tranquility and beauty. I know that if the developers were allowed to build as they pleased, the Georgia population would explode. I however must think that I would much rather have a location to get away from it all than a location to leave one congested mess for another that is along the coast.

That being said, I one day hope to have a permanent home along the southeast coast of Florida. I love the shopping, dining, culture and the atmosphere. The beaches are great and the architecture is wonderful. Georgia should keep it's coast for the wildlife with controlled, steady growth.

[socaguy]

Agreed. South Florida has totally ruined the Everglades...which is the most important wildlife area for diversity in the continental USA. I would hate to see the same thing happen to SE Georgia. Id like to see it grow...just much slower and more controlled than Florida...

[CapeFearRiver10]

I don't think Carolinas mind if you have control growth, thats more development for us. LOL

[socaguy]

Good...let the Carolina Coast become ugly as hell like the east coast of Florida. Seriously though, Im all for development if it is not going to ruin all the beautiful marshlands, maritime forests, etc. that make the Georgia coast one of the most beautiful in the country. For instance the mega-development planned for Brunswick, with multiple highrises. This looks to be a promising project that could put Brunswick on the map and will be very close to DT Brunswick, not in some undeveloped pristine marsh where Alligators and Manatees live.

[krazeeboi]

What I hate most about development along the Lowcountry coast, besides the environmental impact, is how the local Gullah/Geechee culture is threatened. This is being seen in Charleston increasingly. As more and more of this pristine land is opened for development and roads provide access to the area, families with generational roots in these areas often get forced out due to skyrocketing property taxes, such as that which happened to one women on St. Thomas Island in the Charleston area; upon completion of the Mack Clark Expressway, her property taxes increased ten-fold, from $300 to over $3,000. The same is starting to happen in the Mt. Pleasant area with the basket-weavers being forced out due to development. I also remember when Atlanta's own Ted Turner was involved in a battle with a local family over the rights to some land in the Lowcountry. I believe the dispute has been settled, but I'm not sure. I sure hope Georgia gets right what it seems like SC is getting wrong.

[Spartan]

One thing you have to remember is that with the Georgia coast, you have to deal with a lot of islands, so its development will be nothing like Florida or the Grand Strand of SC-NC. Georgia should continue to push pockets of development in existing cities like Brunswick and Savannah/Tybee and try to leave it as pristine as possible.

[Martinman]

One thing you have to remember is that with the Georgia coast, you have to deal with a lot of islands, so its development will be nothing like Florida or the Grand Strand of SC-NC. Georgia should continue to push pockets of development in existing cities like Brunswick and Savannah/Tybee and try to leave it as pristine as possible.

Its really no different in Fla. Much of the Fla coast is on islands seperated from the mainland by waterways.

[andremurra]

Florida will begin pushing into Georgia soon as Jacksonville starts to fill out and South Carolina will probably do anything to bring money and jobs to its desolate economy. I see South Carolina becoming a poorly developed Florida-type sprawled coast, but if we keep Georgia as exclusive as it is and continue only allowing extremely controlled growth in certain areas, then our coast will eventually be the most valuable part of the East Coast. Everyone knows that if you leave people out, it only makes them desire it more. We should allow our coast to be available to our Georgian public in forms of state-parks and such, but not for anyone to come in and try to destroy. I think we should allow some private investment but only of the highest quality and benefit to the environment and all of Georgians.

[krazeeboi]

It's kind of hard to say what the future of the coast will be for SC. At present, our primary concern is beefing up our ports. The Beaufort-Hilton Head area is an emerging MSA, but Beaufort County is pretty sensitive about growth and development. As that area and Savannah grow even closer together, a regional plan will need to be drawn up (one could even make a case that that should be the case now).

[andremurra]

Im just assuming that South Carolina will to anything for more money and people, particularly in the southern and coastal parts. On my way to Charleston or Summerville, I have to drive by several dozen towns made up solely of trailer parks and trashy convenience stores. And the roads arent that great either. And have you heard of the new religion designed specifically for South Carolina called the Christian Exodus? Im not picking, just have had a bad visual of South Carolina from the nasty parts Ive seen. But even some northern areas like Anderson and Westminster look trashy to me too. Anderson is growing though and I have seem some very nice areas developing nearby. Columbia however is B-E-A-U-tifal! And especially Charleston. Maybe if the corridors between Charleston and Columbia and Charleston and HHI have anything to say about it, and not letting the trailer park people in on it, perhaps the SC Coast will turn out ok.

[krazeeboi]

I'll admit we have our rural and "trashy" areas, but I don't see the sprawl that's occurring here as any more ugly than any other place. Also, Charleston's sprawl isn't a desperate attempt by state government to kickstart our economy; people are moving to the area (and other areas experiencing significant growth) because they want to. It offers a great quality of life and the cost of living is low. The Charleston area has netted some pretty good deals lately, so the local economy down there is in excellent shape. The whole Christian Exodus thing was about this guy trying to round up Christians who are "strict constitutionalists" to SC, particularly the Greenville area, to advance their agenda here. We haven't heard squat from this group since the so-called invasion; the group is hardly a threat. All in all I love my state, but you do bring up good points as far as future coastal development is concerned. Because Georgia doesn't have a long coastline, it won't ever become as developed as ours, and that will probably turn out to be a good thing.

[Pillsbury]

Yeah, I don't think anyone ever took the Christian Exodus thing seriously (the main guy was from somewhere out west, btw). The low country of South Carolina contains some of the most beautiful areas I've ever seen. Yes, Hilton Head has gotten a little out of hand. Fripp Island is great; the deer walk right up to you looking for food!!!

But that area is being deveoped too fast. I fear the same thing could happen in Georgia. Speaking of the Gullah developments along Carolina/Georgia being infringed upon, not too long ago I read where Walmart was wanting to put a store near one of their areas near Savannah. Not sure how it turned out, but It'd be tragic for for an entire culture to be wiped away.

[andremurra]

I love Charleston! My aunt lives there. But I hope the Christian Exodus doesnt happen because when I read the artical in Details magazine about it last year, I got scared. I dont need the Bible Belt getting any stronger down here.

[krazeeboi]

CE has only had a minimal impact on Greenville County, let alone the rest of SC. Don't worry about them, because we sure aren't.

[socaguy]

Are they still coming to the Upstate? I surely hope not. There are already WAY too many Christian conservative types here. I was told (just today) by a Southern Baptist that I needed to go to church every Sunday and fill my life with Jesus or I would end up in hell. Im SOOO sick of hearing this.....even when I lived in Georgia I didnt hear this so much. Why dont they just mind their own F@cking business???

[krazeeboi]

I think their cost is a lost one. What's funny is that as a Christian (admittedly with conservative leanings), I find what they're doing to be unbiblical. I have no problem with people, whatever religious idealogies they may hold to, moving to SC, but not with a goal in mind to take over the state's political processes with an ultimate secession event. That's simply unacceptable.

[Pillsbury]

I think their cost is a lost one. What's funny is that as a Christian (admittedly with conservative leanings), I find what they're doing to be unbiblical. I have no problem with people, whatever religious idealogies they may hold to, moving to SC, but not with a goal in mind to take over the state's political processes with an ultimate secession event. That's simply unacceptable.

It sounds treasonous.

[andremurra]

How is it treasonous? We have over 200 churches in Statesboro, almost every street corner. Almost 100 of them are Baptist, 63 are Southern Baptist.

[Pillsbury]

How is it treasonous? We have over 200 churches in Statesboro, almost every street corner. Almost 100 of them are Baptist, 63 are Southern Baptist.

Last year I went to this group's website and they mentioned getting South Carolina to secede from the US. Being Baptist (or Methodist or Anglican or whatever) is not treasonous. I"m a Christian myself. Moving to an area and attempting to congregate in an attempt to sway the political process toward secession from the USA is treasonous. It's the same thing the Southern states did in the Civil War. I'm not saying they should be jailed or anything, but when people start trying to seperate themselves from the USA it is treason and it should be condemned by all citizens.

[Spartan]

Im just assuming that South Carolina will to anything for more money and people, particularly in the southern and coastal parts. On my way to Charleston or Summerville, I have to drive by several dozen towns made up solely of trailer parks and trashy convenience stores. And the roads arent that great either. And have you heard of the new religion designed specifically for South Carolina called the Christian Exodus? Im not picking, just have had a bad visual of South Carolina from the nasty parts Ive seen. But even some northern areas like Anderson and Westminster look trashy to me too. Anderson is growing though and I have seem some very nice areas developing nearby. Columbia however is B-E-A-U-tifal! And especially Charleston. Maybe if the corridors between Charleston and Columbia and Charleston and HHI have anything to say about it, and not letting the trailer park people in on it, perhaps the SC Coast will turn out ok.

It douns to me like you are speaking out of ignorance. I have spent a great deal of time in Georgia, especially South Georgia, and I have seen all parts of the state. Georgia's growth and sprawl patterns are not that different from South Carolina's. Anderson is not exactly the most attractive place, so I can see where your opinion is based.

Now, if you're going to compare SC's coastal growth to GA's, you need too focus on Charleston and areas south of there. The island developments are very similar. Charleston and the other coastal areas, especially HHI are probably among the most progressive places against sprawl.

Are they still coming to the Upstate? I surely hope not. There are already WAY too many Christian conservative types here. I was told (just today) by a Southern Baptist that I needed to go to church every Sunday and fill my life with Jesus or I would end up in hell. Im SOOO sick of hearing this.....even when I lived in Georgia I didnt hear this so much. Why dont they just mind their own F@cking business???

The Christian Exodus movement is laughable at best. They had a conference last year in Greenville that was soppsed to draw something like 1000 or 2000 people. I think only a dozen or two people showed up, and half of that was the media. It was a resounding flop. These type of movements are just talk, and they are designed to piss people off.

Having lived in the Upstate of SC for the vast majority of my life, I can tell you that I have never been approached by anyone religious in that way. You must have had some part in instigating that response.

[andremurra]

Oh I thought you were talking about krazeeboi being treasonous, yeah I know the CE is treasonous, I read the article in Details about all of it.

I kinda live in the coastal empire, so I know what Im talking about. I personally think the sprawl patterns are very different. In SC, the places I have been, and mentioned (which are the places Im talking about) do not look like the local governments control what is built where. There are houses next to strip malls surrounded by a trailer park. There are similar places in GA, but I have never seen any to the extent the low-country SC communities take it. What annoys me the most about the low country (since thats the main part Ive seen) is all the propaganda about how SC is the official travel destination of the new millenium (as if anyone can secure a status for a thousand years) and when you are on I-95, after you cross the Savannah river, there is all the fanfare, palm trees and beautiful display welcoming you into the state and in a split second, its all over, the interstate is the most potholed bumpy narrow-laned road youve ever been on and the first real town you see is Hardeeville, need I say more? At least its not a good first impression.

[socaguy]

Spartan....In no way did I instigate that response. Sadly, this isnt this first time Ive been treated this way here in the Upstate ofSouth Carolina. In fact, our conversation had nothing to do about religion until the lady asked me if I went to church. I told her no, and made a point that I grew up Catholic, (not that this has anything to do with me not going to church..LOL!)

Ive been told Im going to hell because Im Catholic (we are a cult apparently to some Southern Baptists,) among other things.

Oddly, this NEVER happened to me when I lived in Georgia, North Carolina or Maryland, (not that it couldnt because 2 of those states are considered Bible belt.)